LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Lakers are coming off a 126-105 loss against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The team was without James and Luka Doncic when they played against their oldest rival. The 6-foot-9 forward had to deal with sciatica and arthritis. Doncic, on the other hand, was with his family as they welcomed their second child.
Against the Celtics, undrafted guard Austin Reaves did most of the work on the offensive side. He finished with 36 points, three rebounds and eight assists. Reaves was the only player to score at least 20 points for the team. The second-leading scorer was Gabe Vincent with 18.
Ahead of the Lakers’ contest against the 76ers, the team received encouraging news for its lineup.
Before tip-off, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported that LeBron James is available for the Lakers.
“LeBron James is AVAILABLE and will play against Philadelphia,” the NBA insider reported.
LeBron James is AVAILABLE and will play against Philadelphia. https://t.co/IG5f5NGV8g
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) December 7, 2025
Even more encouraging news for the Lakers is that Doncic was listed as available. The team’s All-Star trio is back together and is looking to get back in the win column. Tonight is the team’s first meeting against the 76ers. Last season, the two teams met twice and split their season series, 1-1.
Lakers’ JJ Redick joked about LeBron James’ scoring streak
LeBron James’ streak of scoring in double digits was the biggest topic for the Lakers before the final game of their road trip. On Thursday, his streak stopped at 1,297 games against the Toronto Raptors. James wasn’t his best self on the field and finished with eight points on 4-for-17 shooting.
He had the chance to extend his streak in the final moments of the game. The score was tied at 120 and James had the ball with the game clock winding down. As he brought the ball inside the 3-point arc, the defense focused in on him and it left forward Rui Hachimura open. The four-time champion opted for the uncontested 3-pointer from the Japanese star, which gave the Lakers the win.
Before their bout against the Celtics, coach JJ Redick was asked about his thoughts on James’ streak ending.
“In some ways, I’m really glad the streak is over, so now we can stop talking about it,”Redick said.
Redick is more focused on the task of being LA’s leader, as they have set their sights on contending for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Following their contest against Philadelphia, the Lakers will head back to California for a one-game homestand against the San Antonio Spurs.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
